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Tech News: More Data On A Chip.

Disk Drives Face Challenge From Chips

“they used a novel combination of materials to create prototype phase-change components that are more than 500 times as fast as flash chips, while requiring less than half of the electrical power to record data.”
from slashdot.

A WiFi mesh network for your car

“Cars equipped with the system can relay information about temperature, road conditions, fog, or road obstructions to vehicles within 500m, warning other drivers about problems so that they can take corrective action.”
“The WILLWARN project uses existing vehicle sensors such as the anti-lock braking system, electronic stability control, thermometer, or navigation system to detect black ice and road problems, and it can integrate with in-car radar and collision systems to report the location of road obstacles or disabled vehicles.”
by Nate Anderson.

Blu-Ray drive now available on Dell laptop.

“Dell announced the availability of a Blu-Ray drive for its M1710 laptop Monday. The most expensive version of that laptop–checking in at $3,699–is the only one that features the drive, which allows users to watch HD movies or burn discs with up to 50GBs of data.”
by Tom Krazit.

Electricity price surges could boost solar market

“In the catchily named The New Emerging UK Solar PV Feed-in Tariffs – Transforming the economic case for domestic solar PV systems, ENF identifies recent changes in the UK that have improved conditions for makers of solar power systems. There are two strands to the changes: firstly electricity is getting more expensive, and secondly, it is becoming economically more feasible to invest in solar power systems.”
by Lucy Sherriff.

Overclocking Guide Part 1: Risks, Choices and Benefits

Who overclocks? Why should anyone consider it? Before looking at the finer details of the technique, we first consider the benefits and risks with respect to a few main components.
by Thomas Soderstrom.

DIY games for the Xbox

“Microsoft released free developer tools on Monday that will allow amateurs to make their own video games.
XNA Game Studio Express 1.0 is a framework for creating games with the C# programming language, a content pipeline for incorporating 3D-rich content, and includes libraries of 2D and 3D content that can be applied to games. XNA games can be played on the Xbox 360 itself or a Windows PC. The development tool package is free to download, though a subscription service is required for developers to share the games they create with anyone else.”
by Candace Lombardi.